Pneumatic action for automatic players.



M. CLARK.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYERS.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.28. 1914.

1 14 1 ,379, Patented June 1, 1915.

ZAI 8 j P694511 fi aw Wig/s THE NOR/Gib PETERS 5a., PHoro-L/rHQ.WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T MELVILLE CLARK PIANOCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR AUTOMATIC PLAYERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed January 28, 1914. Serial No. 814,911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MnLviLLn CLARK, a

I citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements inPneumatic Actions for Automatic Players, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction ofpneumatic action for automatic players to be contained within the caseof the piano to be played, a specific purpose of the invention beingcompactness for the purpose of introduction into space available in anordinary upright piano without change in the dimensions of the case.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown anddescribed as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a vertical fore-and-aft section of aportion of a pneumatic action embodying this invention at the line 1--1,on Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the same action.Fig. 3 is a rear side elevation of the same. Fig. 1 is a forward sideelevation showing a portion of a hinged upper section of the front wallof the exhaust chamber broken away disclosing the interior and theforward surfaces of the edge walls of said chamber. Fig. 5 is a detailsection on an enlarged scale at the line 55 on Fig. 2.

In the pneumatic action shown, 1 is the exhaust chamber, which is asubstantially fiat vertical or uprightly positioned box containingwithin its cavity no mechanism whatever, so that said cavity can be, asshown, very thin or shallow, only suflicient distance being requiredbetween its front and rear walls to prevent undue air friction. An airtrunk, 2, leads from this chamber at any convenient point, which isusually at one end or edge as shown. Upon the rear wall, 3, of theexhaust chamber there are mounted motor pneumatic supporting boards, 4,as many in number as the number of banks or levels into which it isdesired to distribute the motor pneumatics. As illustrated, three suchbanks are shown, the motor neumatics, 5, being mounted upon the undersides of the supporting boards, 4,

in staggered arrangement for reasons well understood. In the upper sideof each pneumatic supporting board there are formed a1r pockets, 6, onefor each motor pneumatic supported upon the under side of the board,said air pockets communicating through ports, 3, in the rear wall, 3, ofthe exhaust chamber with the cavity of said chamber for producingexhaust or rarefied condition of the air in the air pockets. In each airpocket there is mounted a primary pneumatic, 7, the bottom of the pocketseating the lower or fixed wall of such primary pneumatic; and in thepneumatic supporting board, 4, for each of the air pockets therein,there is formed a duct, 8, leading into the primary pneumatic mounted insuch air pocket, said duct emerging at the rear edge of the board andthere registering with a port, 9, which connects with a vertical duct,10, formed in the rear wall, 3, of the exhaust air chamber, said ductemerging at the upper edge of said rear wall for connection by means ofthe nipple, 11, with a tube, 12, for leading to a tracker not shown.Upon the upper side of the board, 1, opposite each motor pneumaticmounted upon its lower side, there is mounted a block, 14, containing avalve chamber, 15, the upper wall of which is formed by an exteriorlyapplied annular cover, 16, secured to the top of the block. The lowerwall of the valve chamber has an aperture, 18, directly opposite thecentral aperture of the annular cover, 16. In the block, 14, there isformed an air passage, 17, leading from the valve chamber and emergingthrough the lower surface of said block; and in the board, 4, there ismade a vertical aperture, 19, whose upper end registers with the mouthof the duct, 17 and whose lower end registers with an aperture, 20, inthe top member, which is the fixed member of the motor pneumatic, sothat communication is provided from the valve chamber to the motorpneumatic cavity. The central aperture, 16*, of the cover plate, 16,constitutes the communication of the valve chamber with the outeratmosphere. In the valve chamber the valve, 21, is adapted to playbetween the upper and lower seats, formed, respectively, by the underside of the cover plate, 1.6, and the bottom of the valve chamber, saidvalve being attached to the upper moving wall, 7 of the primarypneumatic, 7, which may be conveniently done by a screw, 23, set downthrough the central aperture of the cover plate, 16, screwed into thesaid moving wall, 7, in the course of assembling the parts.

It will be observed that while the air pockets for the primary neumaticsof each bank are all formed in one continuous board, l, the valvechambers and the motor pneumatics are independent and are separatelymounted upon said board, which is sometimes a matter of convenience inmaking repairs.

Bleeders or leak ports for the primary pneumatics are provided bydrilling through the upper edge wall, 25, of the exhaust chamber fromthe forward suriace of said upper edge wall a duct, 26, leading into theduct, 10, which connects the primary pneumatic with the tracker, anddrilling from the top surface of said edge wall, 25, a crossport, 27,intersecting the duct, 26, and leading into the exhaust chamber cavity.Into the upper end of the cross port there is set an adjusting screw,28, which crosses the duct, 26, and is adapted to obstruct to anydegree, according to its adjustment, the opening thereinto of the lowerportion of the cross-port, 27, the end of the screw being tapered toadapt it to permit nicety of adjustment for that purpose. The forwardwall, 30, of the air chamber is removable, being secured by screws, sothat the inner surface of the rear wall may be fully exposed, and theboards, 4:, are secured against said rear wall by screws, 31, set inthrough said rear wall from the inner side of the chamber into the edgesof said boards, f. Said forward wall, 3.0, when applied and secured uponthe chamber, closes air tight not only the cavity of the chamber butalso the forward ends of the ducts, 26, in the upper edge wall of saidchamber, so that the ducts from the primary pneumatics to the trackerare not thereby afforded any communication with the outer air; and theconstruction described, it will be seen, exposes at the upper edge ofthe exhaust chamber all the adjusting screws, 28, for regulating theleak ports or bleeders of all the primary pneumatics in all the boards,4:, mounted upon the exhaust chamber, because the ducts, 10, from theprimary pneumatics in all the boards, a, emerge at the upper edge of therear wall of the exhaust chamber; and notwithstanding said pneumaticsare arranged in several levels, their ducts are all in position to betapped by the cross ducts, 26, bored, as described, through the upperedge wall of the exhaust chamber; and the adjustment of all the leakports can be effected without disturbing the position of any of theparts, but, on the contrary, while the entire pneumatic action iscompletely assembled and in position and condition for service, so thatthe adjustment of the leak ports can be tested by actual operation whilethe adjustment is being made.

I claim 1. In a pneumatic player action, in combination, a substantiallyfiat exhaust chamber; a motor-pne-umatic-supporting board mountededg'ewise on one surface of the exhaust chamber; a series comprising amultiplicity of motor pneumatics mounted on one side of the board, theboard having air pockets opening at the opposite side of the board whichcommunicate with the exhaust chamber and with the pneumaticsrespectively; blocks which cover the said pockets at their open sidevalve chambers in said pockets through which the air pockets,respectively, communicate with the respective motor pneumatics; coversfor said valve chambers mounted on the side of the blocks opposite thatwhich is seated on the board; said blocks and valve chamber covers beingremovably secured, and securing means exteriorly accessible while theboard remains mounted on the exhaust chamber; valves in the respectivevalve chambers controlling said motor pneumatic communicationsrespectively; primary pneumatics in the pockets respectively, adapted tobe connected with the respective valves, the board having ducts leadingto said pneumatics, and means by which said ducts are adapted forcommunication with the tracker.

2. In a pneumatic player action, in combination, a substantially fiatexhaust cham her; a motor-pneumatic-supporting board mounted edgewise onone surface of the exhaust chamber; a series comprising a multiplicityof motor pneumatics mounted on one side of the board, the board havingair pockets opening at the opposite side of the board which communicatewith the exhaust chamber and with the pneumatics respectively; blockswhich cover the said pockets at their open side; valve chambers in saidpockets through which the air pockets, respectively, communicate withthe respective motor pneumatics; covers for said valve chambers mountedon the side of the blocks opposite that which is seated on the board;said blocks and valve chamber covers being removably secured, andsecuring means exteriorly accessible while the board remains mounted onthe exhaust chamber; valves in the respective valve chambers controllingsaid motor pneumatic communications respective'ly; primary pneumatics inthe pockets respectively operatively connected with the respectivevalves; the board having ducts from the primary pneumatics respectivelyto the surface of said board abutting on the wall of the exhaustchamber, said wall hav ing ducts registering with the first mentionedducts respectively, and adapted for connections to lead to a tracker.

3. In a pneumatic player action, in combination with an exhaust chamberhaving in one side wall thereof ducts for communication with thetracker, said ducts extending in said wall opposite the lapping edge ofa transverse wall of said chamber; ducts extending transversely in suchtransverse wall. and leading into the first-mentioned ductsrespectively, and cross ports bored through said transverse wallintersecting said transverse ducts, and adjusting screws set into theouter ends of said cross ports extending across transverse ducts andadjustable to regulate the communication through said cross portsbetween the tracker-connected ducts and the exhaust chamber.

4. In a pneumatic player action, in combination with an exhaust chamberhaving in one side wall thereof ducts for communication at one end withthe tracker and at the other end with primary pneumatics; a memberhaving chambers in which such primary pneumatics are mounted, and ductsin said member leading from the primary pneumatics in said chambers,said member being mounted on the exhaust chamber with said lastmentioned ducts registering with the first-mentioned ducts in the wallof said exhaust chamber, said last-mentioned ducts extending to theiremergence for connection with the tracker past the lapping edge of atransverse wall of said exhaust chamber, and ports leading from saidducts respectively to the surface of said wall on which said transverseWall abuts, said transverse wall having ducts extending through it fromedge to edge registering at one edge with said ports and closed at theother edge by the opposite wall of the exhaust chamber; cross portsbored through said transverse wall emerging at one end in the exhaustchamber and at the other end in an exteriorly exposed surface of saidwall, and adjusting screws set into the exposed ends of said cross portsextending across the transverse ducts therein and adjustable to regulatethe communication through said cross ports between the primarypneumatics and the exhaust chamber.

5. In a pneumatic player action, in combination with an exhaust chamber,a member mounted thereon having individual chambers for primarypneumatics communi cating respectively with the exhaust chamber, thewall on which such member is mounted having ducts for connecting theprimary pneumatics with a tracker, each of said ducts emerging at theupper edge of such wall; transverse ducts in the upper edge wall of theexhaust chamber leading into' said first-mentioned ducts respectively,and cross ports bored through said upper edge wall intersecting saidtransverse ducts, and adjusting screws set into the upper ends of saidtransverse ports extending across the transverse ducts and adjustable toregulate the communication through said cross ports between the primarypneumatics and the exhaust chamber.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois,this 20th day of January, 1914.

MELVILLE CLARK.

Witnesses:

LUCY I. STONE.

copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

